_________________These are horrible times and all sorts of horrible people are prospering, but we must never let this disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to annoy and hinder them at every turn.

I asked about Bear at the TAPs show in Raleigh. None of the folks at the Smokinpipes table seemed to know where he went. At least they weren't saying if they did know. They did say that he would be making occasional appearances at Smokinpipes in the future.

I always check out the update but I find their prices are just un necessarily high. Unless it's something I can't live without I don't buy much from them. IMO Marty Pulvers site just offers more bang for the buck. As an example, I recently purchased that Tony Rodriguez pipe from Pulvers for $220.00. If the same pipe were on Smokingpipes.com it would have been priced at $375 to $400.

Just got thru with the latest SP updates. I noticed Bear's name on at least one of the pipe descriptions. Personally, I think their whole presentation is a bit overdone. Kinda like the wine descriptions....blackberry notes with a hint of vanilla followed by a taste of chocolate with overtones of mint and undertones of tobacco-encrusted tomato vines!! And I do agree Marty's prices are better. But look at the overhead difference. Compare SP with the Pipe Rack, for example. I do like SP's 'baccy prices sometimes. FTRPLT

Last edited by ftrplt on Sat May 15, 2010 3:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

Bear is a fun guy,always love to read his B.S. about the pipes.Maybe you burn out makinga job out of a hobby? The great thing we have is with the internet and being able to shop around for our pipes andtobaccos.Who knows how long this will all last? I can remember .79 cent pouches of Sail,Balkan Sobrain sold at some Walgreens,I go just thatfar back.These may be the golden years right now!

Bear said he and SP came to a mutually acceptable and friendly end to his employment and minority ownership.

I really enjoy his writing, the other guys are just not the same.

That said, smokingpipes is good for a lot of things...they have some of the best prices on many brands of tins, and are usually very competitive on mid-grade pipe prices. They have a great selection of Peterson pipes. I don't like the way they doctor up the photos of the pipes (they almost look fake), but I really appreciate that you are seeing the actual pipe you are purchasing. They don't really seem to have the best selection of higher grade stuff, but I'm not a "high grade guy" so that doesn't bother me.

SP is also great if you want to trade in pipes you don't use for ones you really want.

GuestGuest

Subject: Re: Smokingpipes.com Sun May 16, 2010 7:10 pm

Bear Says :

Quote :

I hope everyone is doing well. My long term employment/minority ownership within a company recently came to a mutually acceptable/amiable end, and I have (for the first time that I can recall in a decade) had over a week to relax. Prior to my exit, I was slated to be in the office, not part of the 'away team' headed to the Chicago show. Being the dullard that I am, it took a bit for me to remember that I can go (!!). With apologies if this has been asked/answered recently (couldn't find it); are there rooms still available at Pheasant Run? I'm hoping to arrive on Thursday am, and will pitch a pup-tent if I have to. Still, nothing speaks of convenience quite like staying where the event is held.

I ran across Bear at the Chicago show. Apparently he and Smokingpipes had a parting of the ways. The site has definitely lost a good deal of panache since he left. Hopefully they can mend there differences whatever they were.

First off, I want to make this VERY CLEAR. This is not to disparage the folks at the site in any way, shape, or form. I find their writing schedule to be ambitious. I find ambition interesting. It can be admirable as well, which it is in this case.

In their email updates, they almost always include some staff writing. How often do you read it? Do you look forward to it? A favorite of the writers?

First off, I want to make this VERY CLEAR. This is not to disparage the folks at the site in any way, shape, or form. I find their writing schedule to be ambitious. I find ambition interesting. It can be admirable as well, which it is in this case.In their email updates, they almost always include some staff writing. How often do you read it? Do you look forward to it? A favorite of the writers?

I do enjoy the staff writing, as well as the vids from Shane.

My favorite writer is, of course, Chuck. His talent for the fantastic and absurd is in much evidence, and he paints a picture with words like no other. He's a great short story writer. May his fertile imagination continue to run free!

Cheers,

RR

_________________"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin

I suspect staff turnover is pretty darn quick in the business, and it’s not unusual for people to move on for whatever reason. If part of your job is writing short chunks of copy you can get worn out PDQ, especially if you have a list of other stuff that competes for your time. They do two promos a week, plus specials. To me, SP is remarkable for the scope of its market. If you want a pipe for $40, they have it. If you have no budget limit, they can help there, too. Mountains of bulk and tins. Excellent service. My Friday order is usually in the mailbox on Tues, occasionally Mon. When they’ve been out of stock, their communications are timely and accurate. Their collateral communications are often entertaining and interesting — AND they’re original, not borrowed from somewhere else. It isn’t a bare bones sort of operation. Now if SP could only figure out some way to deliver the tobacco shop smell when I check into their site ...

Their tobacco prices are fair, if not better than most places, but their new pipes are usually 10-20% higher (some are higher than that if they're high grade). Their estate prices are awesome though. I bought a 1930 Kaywoodie Drinkless for like $60 and was nearly brand new.

I’ve always appreciated their customer service. It’s second to none I think. Don’t believe me? Try calling in an order sometime. Everybody in the company mans the phones too.

Aside from baccy prices on C&D, they do well enough on price otherwise. Pipe prices I can’t tell you about. It’s more who has what I want. I do like that 99.9% of the pics are in fact the pipe you purchase. And from more than one angle.

This doesn't sound to me like a dying business, like some may wrongly vibe from things. Forward moving, ambitious, and viable. We can only hope.

from a recent email update...

In late July, Laudisi, parent company to Smokingpipes, acquired Kapp & Peterson, including the pipe factory and the shop on Nassau Street. And although our colleagues Joshua Burgess, and Adam and Chana O'Neill, uprooted themselves from the sandy soil of coastal South Carolina, and we no longer see them daily, they moved to the verdant shores of Ireland, so we can be not only happy for them, but a little envious. We also launched Smokingpipes Europe in November to better serve our customers in the EU, a project that had been in the works since early 2017.

In February, Cornell & Diehl moved down the road to a new 18,000 sq. ft. facility, which gave it the additional space it has desperately needed and, excepting closure around Hurricane Florence, it's let C&D expand production considerably. It also gave us space to double the size of Smokingpipes' warehouse at the main facility, which was equally imperative.

Another positive was the launch of Savinelli's most popular release in years with the Oceano. Smokingpipes also started working with famed Danish pipemaking duo S. Bang and celebrated German pipemaker Cornelius Mänz.

This doesn't sound to me like a dying business, like some may wrongly vibe from things. Forward moving, ambitious, and viable. We can only hope.

from a recent email update...

In late July, Laudisi, parent company to Smokingpipes, acquired Kapp & Peterson, including the pipe factory and the shop on Nassau Street. And although our colleagues Joshua Burgess, and Adam and Chana O'Neill, uprooted themselves from the sandy soil of coastal South Carolina, and we no longer see them daily, they moved to the verdant shores of Ireland, so we can be not only happy for them, but a little envious. We also launched Smokingpipes Europe in November to better serve our customers in the EU, a project that had been in the works since early 2017.

In February, Cornell & Diehl moved down the road to a new 18,000 sq. ft. facility, which gave it the additional space it has desperately needed and, excepting closure around Hurricane Florence, it's let C&D expand production considerably. It also gave us space to double the size of Smokingpipes' warehouse at the main facility, which was equally imperative.

Another positive was the launch of Savinelli's most popular release in years with the Oceano. Smokingpipes also started working with famed Danish pipemaking duo S. Bang and celebrated German pipemaker Cornelius Mänz.

Very impressive. WTG and congrats to Sykes Wilford and company. They've consistently set the bar high and have met or exceeded it. Keep on keepin' on. They're a class act!

Cheers,

RR

_________________"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin